5 Tips To Make Your Online Presence Pop as a Therapist

Marketing Tips for Mental Health Professionals

This post has been guest-authored by Zencare as part of our guest post series. Learn more about Zencare at the bottom of this post.

For many therapists launching a new private practice, online marketing isn’t exactly top of mind. Finding an office space, getting malpractice insurance, and setting up a billing system? Definitely. But when it comes to getting that first client through the front door, virtual impressions matter.

Online marketing is an effective way to jumpstart your caseload– and if done well, it can attract new clients seeking a therapist with your specific expertise.

Staying Safe and Relevant as a Therapist | TheraNest Blog

From the Couch to the Screen

Staying Safe and Relevant in 2019

This post has been authored by Tiffany Chhuom MSW, MPH, CDP-T, LSWAIC as part of our guest post series. Learn more about Tiffany at the bottom of this post.

Hi there! My name is Tiffany Chhuom and I’m a therapist, researcher, and the owner of EthTech: a consulting firm on technology and ethics for mental health professionals. Following some recent events here in the Seattle area, I’ve decided to take some steps personally to feel safer while interacting with people online and via smartphones. I hope you will consider taking these steps as well to protect yourself and your clients; and to maintain compliance with laws and regulations.

A Few Things I Know for Sure

Lessons Learned From My First Private Practice

This post has been authored by Elizabeth Shoop, LPC as part of our guest post series. Learn more about Elizabeth at the bottom of this post.

On December 8, 2014, the testing center attendant casually handed me the piece of paper and wished me a nice day before turning to her other tasks. It was just a regular day for her. For me, it was a landmark moment. I passed the licensure exam, and would soon be fully credentialed to embark on the adventure of opening my own private practice. This document affirmed that I had what it took in terms of clinical skill and ethical knowledge to serve my clients well. Yet, I stood under the shadow of a looming question; did I have what it would take to run a business? Could I really be a successful entrepreneur? I had that roller coaster feeling, like when you’re lurching up the track toward the crest of the first hill, without a view of what’s ahead.

10 Books Every New Therapist Should Read

Best Therapy Books

Books are a great way to learn from an absent teacher. Though there are an abundance of books intended for therapists, the best books for beginning therapists are those which help to make their clients feel better.

Foundational knowledge about the human condition and a broad view of the techniques which can alleviate suffering go hand-in-hand, which means that books for therapists in training are often great reads for lay people too. In this article, we’ll review ten of the best therapy books for therapists in training.

When You Have to Break Confidentiality as a Therapist

When Can Client Confidentiality be Broken?

As a therapist, your relationship with your clients has therapeutic, economic, and legal dimensions. These relationships are governed by laws which require confidentiality on your part as a therapist.

Confidentiality is a legal construct which prevents the disclosure of the events of therapy. Therapist confidentiality gives the client the assurance they can share whatever they want with you.

Nonetheless, there are a number of critical limits of confidentiality in counseling. In some cases, due to forces outside your and your client’s control, your client can’t expect you to keep their disclosures private. Certain exceptions to confidentiality in counseling are at your discretion. In other cases, you are obligated to breach confidentiality in the name of public safety or your client’s health.

New CPT Codes for Psychological Testing in 2019

2019 Updated CPT Codes for Therapists

This September, the American Medical Association announced the release of the 2019 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set. This update includes 335 code changes, however only a handful of these changes impact mental and behavioral health providers.

Perspectives on Being a Health Psychologist

An Overview of Health Psychology

This post has been authored by Robyn Pashby, Ph.D., Kelly Donahue, Ph.D., NTC, and Kris Morris, Ph.D. as part of our guest post series. Learn more about our three authors at the bottom of this post.

What is Health Psychology?

The American Psychological Association writes that “health psychologists study how patients handle illness, why some people don’t follow medical advice and the most effective ways to control pain or change poor health habits.” Health psychology is a unique branch of psychology that focuses on the study and application of psychosocial, psychobiological, and behavioral factors in the etiology, prevention, and treatment of illness, as well as the pursuit and maintenance of wellness. While in training, we typically study traditional psychopathology and developmental psychology as well as appetitive behaviors, neuroscience, psychopharmacology, psychophysiology, neuropsychology, epidemiology and more.

Heart-Work Exhaustion

Understanding Compassion Fatigue as a Therapist

This post has been authored by Briania Davis, MSMFT as part of our guest post series. Learn more about Briania at the bottom of this post.

Have you been feeling run down? Are you dreading work a little more so than in the past? When talking to clients do you find yourself not being fully present? If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing compassion fatigue.

What is “Compassion Fatigue”? What are the symptoms? How is it experienced? Lastly, how is it expressed when one person becomes emotionally invested in another? Before we get into these elements, let’s address the most important question, “who” is at risk? Nowadays, anyone with a strong desire to help another can experience compassion fatigue, also known as second-hand shock or secondary stress reaction.

October 2018 DSM-5 Update

DSM-5 Codes Changes in 2018

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a federal agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that oversees the ICD-10-CM, has released the 2019 updates to the ICD-10 codes. A total of 473 changes have taken place. There are 279 new codes, 143 revised codes, and 51 deactivated codes. You can view all of the code changes here.

Self Care: What it Is and What it’s Not

Practicing Self Care as a Therapist

This post has been authored by Katie Cashin, MS, LCPC as part of our guest post series. Learn more about Katie at the bottom of this post.

Let’s take a moment for some honesty. Not so long ago, I reached the point where, as a therapist, when I heard the phrase “self care” I would roll my eyes. I was feeling mildly Grinch-like but also really fed up with the myths and misnomers about what it really means to take care of ourselves. In the last decade of popularization, self care has become slightly synonymous with manicures, yoga retreats, buying a pair of pricey shoes, and fancy, artisan coffee. These acts and items beg the question: Is this more about care or consumerism?